RALEIGH — Last March in the NCHSAA state 2A championship it was Waxhaw Cuthbertson which saw its nice-sized second-half lead whittle away to nothing as Kinston rallied.

On Friday — and again in Raleigh — the Cavaliers returned the favor.

After falling to the Vikings in the title game nine months ago in a game it led nearly start to finish, Cuthbertson rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit and held Kinston scoreless in the final period in the 50-47 win to eliminate the Vikings from the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational.

In the state title game it was the Cavs (10-1) who controlled the first half then lost control in the second as Kinston won 58-55. On Friday it was the Vikings (9-2) who suffered the same fate.

“We did some good things but did a lot of things poorly, too,” Kinston coach Perry Tyndall said.

After building a 38-24 lead at halftime, Kinston was outscored 26-9 in the second half and held scoreless in the fourth quarter alone. The defeat also sent the Vikings home after two games for the second time in the last three HSOT.com tournaments.

Cuthbertson coach Mike Helms, whose team fell to Hampton (Va.) in overtime on Thursday night in a game that lasted nearly until midnight, said Friday’s game was about getting back what his team lost in March.

“I think probably just the point of playing for pride. It was a great game last year, and today’s game was another great game,” Helms said. “Having played each other and having that film we’re very familiar with each other and what we’re trying to do.

“Mostly, we just talked about playing with our heart and pride.”

Kinston entered the prestigious prep basketball tournament with nine wins in nine games. The Vikings nearly pulled off what would have been the upset of the tournament on Thursday when they rallied in the second half against nationally-ranked DeSoto (Texas).

Following that game Kinston had the confidence it could play with anybody. Following Friday’s second-half meltdown, the Vikings return to Kinston searching for answers.

“We just got to work on staying together when crunchtime comes,” Vikings senior Denzel Keyes said. “We’ve just got to stay as one.”

Added Tyndall: “We did a lot of good things in this tournament but … we’ve got to play a complete game. Everybody’s got to buy in, and we’ve got to have everybody on board.

“We’ve seen what gave us trouble, so we’re going to have to practice with a purpose.”

Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.